Expectations are off the charts for the Aberdeen Central girls’ golf team this spring, and the Golden Eagles have the personnel to meet them.

The defending Class AA state champions return their entire roster this season, including defending individual state champ Olivia Braun.

“It’s a good feeling. There’s no doubt there’s a bullseye on our back with all the teams kind of looking at us,” said Central coach Kim Zimmerman. “I’m sure they’re going to gauge their scores and their team and their individual scores based on how we do at the first few outings throughout the course of the year, but that’s good. That’s a good feeling and a good place to be in.”

Central, which opens the season today at Harrisburg, returns four all-state and all-Eastern South Dakota Conference golfers this season: seniors Braun, Emma Dohrer, Chloe Vikander, and junior Kyley Wirebaugh.

“Probably by far and away the most talented group and most experienced group I’ve ever had,” Zimmerman said.

That group will be joined by senior Kylie Herman, along with eighth-graders Genevieve Golz and Carli Winters who were a part of the state tournament experience.

“That’s a big takeaway from last year,” Zimmerman said of Golz and Winters. “I can’t teach what they learned at the state tournament. That was just very valuable experience for them and knowledge.”

Zimmerman knows the expectation level for his players this season and will do his best to try to keep the squad level, yet motivated.

“I think it’s my job to kind of have them stay grounded,” Zimmerman said. “Just like in golf, you stay in the moment. … There’s no doubt about it. They’re going to hear the noise, just like I do, about defending and having everybody back. That’s not going to go away.”

The Golden Eagles are accustomed to the big stage and pressure situations.

Braun has played at golf courses in multiple states during her young career, including tournaments in California and Arizona this past winter.

“In her case, she’s played in a number of different golf meets all over the country with different people, so she has that experience. Nothing really phases her too much,” Zimmerman said. “We kind of like to have that trickle down amongst the younger girls, too. They’re still learning and I think our older girls are good mentors for those younger girls.”

Central has two home tournaments this season, its own invitational and the ESD tourney at the end of May. Hosting the conference event comes at a meaningful time with a team full of accomplished golfers.

“You don’t have it that often just because of the rotation and everything,” Zimmerman said, “but to have it on a year where these girls are seniors and maybe get to enjoy home cooking a little bit on their golf course that they play and practice on and kind of have grown up with so to speak for some of them, it’s nice and just to kind of showcase the talent that we have.”

The team has already discussed goals for the upcoming season, and Zimmerman said the girls are motivated and focused.

“We talked about goals not too long ago, both team and individual goals,” Zimmerman said, “and the girls all said they want to improve, get better, as good as they were last year, still improve.”

Zimmerman knows that the better the golf, the more challenging it is to lower a score, but that’s part of the challenge.

“We just have to continue to try to get better every day,” Zimmerman said. “I know the lower your score is, the harder it is to get better, but at the same time there’s definitely room for improvement.”

While all the pieces are in place for a serious run at another state title, Zimmerman knows it takes more than just going out on the course and hitting the ball.

“These girls know enough about the game of golf that they’re just not going to rely on what happened last year. You don’t win a state championship based on what you did last year, even though we have everybody back,” Zimmerman said. “You have to stay away from injuries. A lot of things have to go right to win a state championship. They happened go to right last year, but this year is a new year and we’re looking forward to it, but yet we want to continue to get better.”